Treading on thin ice?

Interview with Marcel Poser from CONNAECT Magazine 2nd Edition - 2008

 

Whatever your personal beliefs about why global warming is happening - or whether indeed it is happening at all - there are some real benefits to be derived from adopting an environmentally sensitive approach. BBR VT International Ltd's CEO, Marcel Poser, outlines recent developments within the BBR Network which give the construction industry some greener options.

 

What is absolutely clear is that there is no single means of halting climate change, so we need to explore all the options we have to reduce our environmental footprint, as we need to take care of our planet - because time is running out!

We have to change our attitude and abandon our fear that an environmentally sensitive approach means restrictions to our lifestyle. The fact is that taking a greener approach actually leads to innovations, business opportunities and continued growth. It is a challenge for our society and we need to work together. We need strong politicians, as well as sensitive and smart business leaders. Once clear and challenging targets have been set, mankind has always delivered We flew to the moon, tore down the Iron Curtain... Not because they were easy, but because they were hard and because there have been visionary leaders.

Narrowing our focus to the construction sector, it's simply not enough to rely only upon "sustainable technology" to fight the challenges of the future; we have to consider the entire lifecycle of a structure.

A good example in constuction is the post-tensioning of slabs in buildings. PT slab tendons are the sustainable technology, but they only lead to a truly environmentally sensitive structure if we make smart choices from the beginning to the end - from the building placement, through integrated and customised building designs, to construction methods which fully exploit the benefits of the "sustainable" post-tensioning slab technology, as well as early stage re-usage and ultimate disposal considerations. If we do all of this, we not only end up with a structure which uses less concrete and steel, but have significantly reduced the carbon footprint and environmental impact during construction and have, in fact, also achieved a higher quality end product at a lower cost - thus, an environmentally sensitive structure which actually saves money!

The one-size-fits-all concept is no longer a viable on for construction products - optimisation is needed to achieve the most environmentally-friendly structure. Opting to use post-tensioning means that a wider product range is available. For example, in days of old, you might have been working with multi-stand systems with four or five different sizes and you would have had to use a 31-strand anchor when, for the most economical solution, you actually needed a 24-stand anchor. BBR tendons are now grouped so that you only use what you actually need. All the size groups can be handled and stressed with just one piece of gear - the kit has been rationalised. In this way, we are helping to ensure that only the amount of anchoring material which is really needed goes into the structure, whilst minimising additional transportation impacts for construction gear. In 2008, we are offering 25 different sizes of multi-strand anchorages - ranging form 1 to 61 strands. At the same time, our products will continue to promote faster construction programmes through early strength concrete stressing which reduces the construction cycle time - the earlier you can stress, the earlier you can build. Alternatively, a lower quality, cheaper or possibly recycled concrete can be used. One year on, BBR VT CONA CMI remains unmatched in offering early stage stressing. BBR technologies also remain the benchmark for compactness in the anchor zone - even a year after introducing the new range of products. Our systems use the least amount of space in the anchor zone - again reducing materials. European Testing of the BBR VT CONA CMI range has enabled BBR Network to win a large numbers of jobs - in fact, the number of projects and products sales have exceeded our expectations.

Recently there’s been much talk about counterfeit components – cheap copies of construction products which ultimately risk lives. There are indeed many "local" post-tensioning systems on the market which, despite some of them carrying our trademarks, actually bear no relation to the original, genuine BBR technology. Genuine BBR products are extensively tested according to the latest provisions, are based on over 60 years of experience and are constantly under surveillance by an independent auditor to ensure they continue to fulfil all the requirements of our European Technical Approval. There are now documents in the public domain, thanks to European Technical Approvals, which provide a real comparison with these copycat, look-alike and half-hearted copies. However, if you are in any doubt about a product which is offered, seek advice from the BBR Network.

Over the past 12 to 24 months, we have truly felt the benefits of the BBR Network, a confederation of individual companies with their own strong local roots – and being the only company within the post-tensioning market place to have brand new and genuinely state-of-the-art products which are tested and approved to the European Technical Approval Guidelines (ETAG) and CE marked. Since launching the BBR VT CONA CMX range last year, the response from the market place has been tremendous – and we are already now tackling the markets outside of Europe with our new product range.

ETAG and CE have become international benchmarks which have driven projects by BBR Network members that are now underway in the Middle East, Asia and Australia. This success can be attributed, in equal parts, to the expertise and excellent track record of BBR Network members, as well as the superiority of the products and their technical and environmental advantages. All of these qualities were well-publicised in 2007 - for example, during a road show to officially launch the products in Australia.

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved – and always will solve – the problems of the human race."

Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the USA (1923-1929)

Have you ever wondered why, at BBR, we call our team a "Global Network of Experts"? It was – and remains – important to us that any slogan we use should reflect the qualities of our organisation – an international presence, our interconnection and positive working relationships and, above all, the attitude of our people. I believe that the BBR Network embodies the "Three Ps" – professionalism, persistence and pleasure – which go together to make a successful business. Professionalism is when organisations and individuals go the extra distance to develop and launch products or produce leading-edge project solutions. Next comes “Persistence” – this, for me, is about not giving up. For example, when testing something or finding the best solution for a project, you have to try more than once to find the right recipe – optimising and changing things as you go. Thirdly, we have “Pleasure” – the BBR Network can undoubtedly put smiles on faces. A key secret of the BBR Network is that we are in fact a family who respect each other as individuals and as professionals, have a desire to learn and enjoy working together – this is quite evident at all our meetings and indeed at our Global BBR Conferences.

If your credentials and aspirations match ours, we would very much like to hear from you – we are always looking for good, highly qualified people and market-leading organisations to join the international BBR Network. At BBR, we inspire our team members to improve themselves, both personally and professionally. For further information, please contact us by e-mail, we would be pleased to hear from you.

Over the next 12 months, we expect to be harvesting the fruits of our labours – with some additional product launches within the BBR VT CONA CMX series. These products will be larger sizes – including world recordsized multi-strand tendons which will be used in the nuclear industry. We have new products for external post-tensioning and will be launching a proprietary product mainly geared for strengthening structures. As far as the market place is concerned, we anticipate that the energy sector will continue to perform strongly in 2008 and beyond. We are also looking forward to exciting cable stayed bridge projects which typcially feature cross-continental BBR Network collaboration – more of that in the next edition Finally, we have also grown as a Network and I’d like to welcome some new faces who have joined us.

January 2008

BBR VT International Ltd